Forward Today: Finding Forgiveness

In this week’s edition of our weekly newsletter, Scott reflects on a subject we talk about frequently in the church, but often have a harder time putting into practice: forgiveness.

Dear friends in Christ,

Most of us who spend any time in churches have some ideas what forgiveness is all about. We know that we’re supposed to do it. We know, at least intellectually, that God forgives us our sins when we repent. And we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” That’s a tall order. We’re asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. I don’t know about you, but I’m not always good at forgiving people.

The good news is that the Holy Spirit can move itself to help us when we need to get unstuck. Jesus himself, in Matthew 18, teaches us about forgiveness. We are meant to be generous in forgiveness. We are meant to forgive others, even when they do not take their share in the work. (Otherwise, our seething resentment can overshadow love in our hearts.)

I mention all this, because forgiveness is one of those things that’s easier said than done. We can be confident that we have the support of Jesus himself and of the church in our journey. Are there people we need to forgive? Are there people who need to forgive us? How can we trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us and strengthen us in this work?

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